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Saturday, 27 April 2013

"Fuck the cops. Fuck 'em!"

Well I hope some of you took my advice last time and watched Seven Psychopaths. And you can now appreciate just how great Sam Rockwell is. It was one of the best films released last year and had a lot more going for it than all the summer blockbusters combined. The story was ingenious: a screenwriter trying to write a new film and not realising how his own life was actually playing out better than any film he could come up with. Every actor put in a great performance. I'm not going to praise Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell because we all know that they never let you down. I was never a fan of Colin Farrell but after watching him in this I have kind of forgiven him for being out-acted by his own eyebrows in all the crap he usually decides to make. As for Woody Harrelson, he's at his best when he's allowed to play the over-the-top character. Even Tom Waits adds a bit of cool eccentricity to an already eccentric cast of characters. And of course the best part of the film is the shoot-out in the cemetery. That scene alone puts almost every other action film to shame.

"Groovy"

This week i decided to watch the original Evil Dead films before going to see the remake/reboot or whatever they decide to name these superfluous abominations. Abomination may be a strong word for this remake. But it's almost perfect for the likes of The Thing premake and the Saws.

While Evil Dead (2013) isn't exactly a terrible film it could, however, be any horror film. The only thing that ties it to the original is the fact it's set in a cabin and has a book of the dead, which in no way looks as awesome as the one from Evil Dead 2. I wouldn't even pick it up if i saw it at a book sale, human flesh cover or not. Where the original had the young folk find a tape recorder and accidentally play the incantation to release the demons, this one has the guy with the glasses read it from the book despite all the warnings he saw written throughout it. Seriously, how can the guy with the glasses be such a dipstick?

Evil Dead (2013) relies too heavily on the usual horror clichés that most new horror films overuse. I could actually name them all right before they happened. And when will people learn that jump scares are not scary? In the original Evil Dead when the camera runs through the forest you get the sense that something is coming but in this one it just feels like someone is running through the forest with a camera. Also there was no imagination with the look of the possessed people. If they have red contact lenses and some blood on them then you can assume they are possessed.

At this point you're probably wondering why I said this wasn't a terrible film and then did nothing but complain about what it did wrong. The thing is I can't really say what I liked about it but I just didn't hate it. Maybe it's because since this did well there have been rumours about Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell teaming up again to make a new Evil Dead or Army of Darkness. And that can only be a good thing. Even if we have to put up with a cliché ridden remake.

In conclusion I would recommend Evil Dead (2013) to anyone wanting to see a new horror film. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking or overly memorable. If, however, you wasted money every year on Paranormal Activity or Saw before that then please don't hesitate to spend money on this. You will be giving me and other real horror fans the chance to see a proper Evil Dead made with Bruce Campbell.

"Hey! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!"

So there it is. My somewhat 2 star review of a film I would recommend. But of course the best way to make up your mind is to watch it yourself. You'll either like it or gain a new found respect for the originals.

Now for my suggestion on what you should watch:
Gentlemen Broncos.
If you don't laugh your Broncanus off then you should check your pulse. You may already be dead.

Thursday, 18 April 2013

...And So It Begins

Hello. Welcome to my new blog thing. I was helped by the lovely Aishling to put this together. So if you have any complaints please direct them to her. Anyway, I will try to make this a relatively painful experience. At least for myself. So for my first blog I would like to talk a little about music. Particularly my favourite album of 2012.

A bit late for that you say? Well if you knew of all the great albums that came out last year you would understand the delay. I had so much to catch up on and I still haven't gotten through all of 2012's releases. But if the likes of Gojira, Devin Townsend Project and Witchcraft couldn't beat my Number 1 then I doubt the ones I haven't listened to yet would manage it. Before I reveal my Number 1 let me mention some of the albums that made 2012 a great year for music.

"L'enfant Sauvage" by Gojira. Is there a band heavier than Gojira? There may well be but Gojira are able to play heavy without bludgeoning the listener. Also it's rare to find another death metal band with a conscience and who care about the environment more than they do about Satan. While not on this album (and maybe never to be released due to bad luck) you should listen to their song Of Blood and Salt, which features Devin Townsend.

"Epicloud" by Devin Townsend Project. Devin has a style all of his own. Whether you listen to one of his heavy songs or one of his mellow ones or even the one about a cheeseburger you can unmistakably hear what it is. It's hard to describe but it's there. From the start of the album, which features a choir, right to the end, you will realise why "Epic" is in the album title. And in the name of Oden please play it LOUD.

"Down IV Part 1-The Purple EP" by Down. Part 1 of a planned four EPs. There may only be six songs on it but the quality of the EP is better than most bands can achieve on a full length album. As Down get older their talents seem to grow. Where others will just start to phone it in and rely on past glories, Down continue to outdo themselves on each release and I for one am looking forward to their planned acoustic EP.

"Legend" by Witchcraft. I had never heard of Witchcraft until a couple years ago when i read that Phil Anselmo was a fan and cited them as an influence. Unfortunately it took me until last year to listen to them. And it was worth the wait. It's one of those albums that you listen to and as soon as it's over you listen to it again. Highly recommended.

While the above albums are in no particular order, there was one album that I found myself going back to listen to a lot and sometimes on a daily basis. So here is my Number 1 album of the year.

"A Eulogy of the Damned" by Orange Goblin. This album came out in February of last year and it remained my favourite album for all that time. There is not a bad song on the album. I would even say they range from amazing to scrumtrulescent. The opening song, Red Tide Rising, kicks the album off how it means to go on: loud, heavy and groovy. Joe Hoare needs to be recognised as one of the best riffmeisters out there. Ben Ward's voice itself is almost like an instrument, adding an extra layer to the songs. Without it I doubt the songs would have the impact they do. It's hard to pick out one song as the best but being that I am a horror fan i would have to pick The Fog. It's one of those rare things, a love song that doesn't make you want to throw up or punch your momma. It is of course a love song to John Carpenter's The Fog. Ben Ward made sure to tell us that during their last gig in Dublin. So if you haven't listened to this album or seen The Fog (the original of course, there is no remake, don't be preposterous) then I am going to have to strongly advise you to do so.

Well there you go. My first blog and some great points made, i think you'll agree. I hope 2013 will have as many good albums as last year. Judging by the new Clutch album i think it should be just as awesome. And we still have albums by Ghost, Rob Zombie, Children of Bodom and Amon Amarth to come out yet. I can't wait. Hopefully I can give you some reviews of them as they come out along with any films i see. Maybe Evil Dead next week.

As a (hopefully) regular feature, at the end of each blog I will suggest a film that you may enjoy watching.
First up: Seven Psychopaths.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to your feedback. Be constructive.